We all know the power of gamification to transform a classroom. Whether it’s classroom bingo or using “Jeopardy” for a review game, these interactive experiences captivate students and make learning fun. But the reality is that creating these engaging gamified lessons often requires a significant investment of time and creativity. That’s where Generative AI comes in to assist you in transforming your activities to being more gamified. From generating unique storylines and characters to crafting personalized challenges and quizzes try these ways to use AI to gamify your class.
Choose your favorite generative AI tool such as Google Gemini or ChatGPT to help you add gamification to your activity. Start with one of my templates from my Gamified EdTech Warm-Ups collection.
Gamification vs Game Based Learning (GBL)
Often used interchangeably, gamification is different than Game Based Learning (GBL). Gamification adds game elements to an activity, however the game elements are superfluous to the learning. Game Based Learning on the other hand creates an experience where the game itself helps the learner to better understand the learning objective.
Use AI to Gamify Your Class
Generative AI can be helpful in both situations to aid you in gamifying your class, even just a little. Take your activities and ask Google Gemini or your favorite Generative AI chatbot for ways to upgrade your lesson plan with gamification or Game Based Learning. You may find some clever ways to use AI to gamify your class.
1. Create Fun Quest Titles
Creating a gamified choice board can be a fun way to motivate students and differentiate. My process for creating one is to create a list of options and descriptions for the choice board. Then I try to be clever to make the title fun… it can be a challenge. Generative AI can take my boring list of choices and help me to come up with options for quest titles.
Gamified Template by Alice Keeler
Make a copy of my Badge Game template and create a list of choice descriptions. Download the list as a PDF and upload to ChatGPT to request clever titles for each of the tasks. Generative AI image creation tools can also help in designing the badges.
A Sample Badge Game
I started a Badge Game activity for my Geometry class using the template. The titles could use some creativity help and the badge images do not match the quests.
Downloading the spreadsheet as a PDF I added to ChatGPT and asked it to recreate the table with more creative titles. It gave me some suggestions that I could work with. I then asked for a badge image for each quest in the list, and it did! A huge time saver.
2. Create Interactive Simulations
Use AI to develop interactive simulations that allow students to explore complex concepts in a hands-on manner. These simulations can adapt to student input, providing immediate feedback and new challenges based on their decisions, all while staying focused on the curriculum goals. AI can help you design the simulation, but the actual activity does not need to use technology.
Prompts to Try:
- “Generate an ecosystem simulation for a biology class where students manage resources and species interactions. Adjust the simulation parameters based on student decisions to show different ecological outcomes and ensure each decision helps achieve the learning objectives.”
- “Create a historical trade simulation where students act as merchants on the Silk Road. Adapt the trade scenarios based on their negotiation strategies and economic choices, linking each scenario to the curriculum objectives.”
3. Engage Students with Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful way to learn! Use Generative AI to help you create a story based on the learning objective. No matter the grade level, students enjoy carpet time story reading! Start your lesson with a story that ties to the learning objective by asking Generative AI to help you create one.
I used Generative AI to help me generate a story and images that I was able to pull into Book Creator.
4. Adapt a Game to the Learning Objective
Jeopardy is a great example of how a game was adapted for use in the classroom. Consider other games that you enjoy and how they could be adapted into a learning activity.
Teaching 7th grade math I wanted to try to incorporate as many baby shower games as I could into the lessons. Not just as a fun thing to do, but to tangibly enhance the learning. I started with the game where you melt candy bars into diapers.
I pasted the state standards for 7th grade math into the conversation and asked Generative AI to create a classroom activity based on the baby shower game. For most of the standards the connection was tangential at best. However, I was able to work together with the chatbot to create an activity to help students understand the concept of Inference through the candy melting activity. One of the best days ever for student engagement!
5. Create a Choice Adventure
Use Generative AI to help you to create an adventure based on student choices. Designing the different branching options or challenges can definitely be made easier by partnering with Generative AI. Starting with the learning objective, prompt the chatbot to outline different paths depending on responses/choices in the game.
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Google Slides or Google Forms
There are many tools that can help you to deliver the content from the “AI created” (assisted) story based game. Google Slides is one option for students branching based on their choice. Use the hyperlink feature to link to particular slides when responding to a choice. Google Forms is another option by creating sections where students branch to a particular section based on the answer to a multiple choice question.
Sample Choice Adventure
Check out the sample I created using Google Gemini. I uploaded a graphic of an argument pyramid into Gemini and asked it to create a choice board game for Google Slides and to indicate what slide each choice linked to.
I used my Hyperlink Slides Choice Board Add-on to help me create the hyperlinks faster. For a step by step tutorial join the Gamified EdTech Warm-Ups collection or become a premium member.
Hyperlink Slides Choice Board
Quickly turn your Google Slides™ into a choice board with automatically generated hyperlinks.
Created by AliceKeeler – Collects NO user data.
Use AI to Gamify Your Class Activities
There are many ways to gamify your activities. Using Generative AI can make this process significantly faster. Try some of the gamification techniques below with a little help from AI:
- XP Points: Award experience points for completing tasks or achieving goals.
- Leveling: Allow students to level up as they earn XP.
- Visible Progress: Show students their progress so they can see how far they’ve come.
- Badges: Award badges for completing specific tasks or reaching milestones.
- Quests: Give students quests or challenges to complete.
- Choice: Allow students to choose how they want to learn or demonstrate their understanding.
- Rewards: Offer rewards for completing tasks or achieving goals.
- Competition: Encourage friendly competition among students.
- Goal Setting: Help students set and track their own goals.
- Context/Story: Create a narrative or theme to make the learning experience more engaging.
- Low Risk of Failure: Design activities where students can try again if they don’t succeed at first.
- Known Outcomes: Clearly communicate the learning objectives and expectations.
- Immediate Feedback: Provide students with feedback on their work as soon as possible.
- Scaffolding: Break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
- Recognition: Recognize and celebrate student achievements.
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